Zimbabwe Winemaker Makes World Cup First
18/05/2010 13:46:00
Johannesburg, May 18, 2010 – A Zimbabwean wine maker has scored a first, by making two of the three official World Cup wines.
Tariro Masayiti, 37, who works for the Paarl-based wine maker Nederburg, is responsible for making two of the exclusive three Nederburg FIFA Limited Edition wines, which have been chosen as the official wines for the FIFA World Cup taking place between June and July. The company is therefore the official wine supplier of the three wines.
Masayiti made the Sauvignon Blanc and Dry Rose.
The bespectacled Masayiti grew up in Marondera, where some of the country’s wineries such as Mukuyu produce about 5 million litres of wine a year, despite the economic challenges that the country currently faces.
Masayiti studied Chemistry and Bio- Chemistry at the University of Zimbabwe.
The Sauvignon Blanc loving gentleman learnt his wine tasting craft at the Mukuyu Winery under the tutelage of Brent King, a New Zealand winemaker, still based at the Marondera facility.
Masayiti later left Zimbabwe and took up studies in Viticulture and Oenology at the University of Stellenbosch.
After his studies, Masayiti worked for Distell-owned Bergkelder as assistant white wine maker before joining Nederburg in 2005 as a white wine maker.
He is currently in charge of a portfolio of 25 white wines at Nederburg, which was last year recognised as South Africa’s most successful wine producer at London’s International Wine and Spirit Competition.